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Friday, January 16, 2015

That Hole in My Life, Part I

I'm suffering from a big hole in my life. You might have experienced something similar in different forms, but in my particular case, it's "I finished two anime series and now I don't know what to do with myself" syndrome. For you, it might have been that moment when you finished marathoning Breaking Bad or whatever your show of choice is, and realized that this is it...a show that was a big part of your life is now done. And what are you supposed to do now??

I like to multitask. So, that means I usually have two or three books going at a time, and at least three TV shows. Over the Christmas Break, I had been watching three, and finished two.

First up is Death Note. This iswas is an amazing series about good vs. evil; cat vs. mouse. Light Yagami, a typical high school student, top of his class, incredibly popular and loved by all the ladies finds a mysterious notebook dropped on the sidewalk. When he picks it up, he learns that it's called The Death Note, and the instructions inside explain that he can use it to kill people. All he has to do is think of their face and write their name. He thinks it's a joke, until he tries it...then the people whose names he writes down really do die. Both horrified and exhilarated, Light decides to use this power to rid the world of all evil. He meets Ryuk, a shinigami, or god of death, who owns the notebook. Ryuk fills in a few more of the finer details of the notebook, but also makes it clear that he is not here to be Light's assistant. Rather, he's bored, and is looking for something to amuse him. He finds humans fascinating, and Light in particular, so he decides to stick around.

Soon, Light's desires to eliminate all evil start to gain nation attention. If no cause of death is written in the Death Note, then the victims will suffer from a heart attack. A huge outbreak of criminals having heart attacks has gotten the police very worried, and nations are joining together to try and track down this mysterious murderer, who has been dubbed "Kira," based on the Japanese pronunciation of the English word "killer". Soon, the world's greatest detective, who never reveals his name or face to anyone, L, steps forward. He openly challenges Kira, and quickly begins to draw the noose around Light.

The series can get super-dark, but the amazing lengths to which L and

Light/Kira will go in order to stop each other is quite extraordinary. Plus, the finale is worth the price of admission. This series was so amazing, and while the start was a bit slow, there comes a point when you just don't to stop, because you need to know how it ends. Luckily, there are only two seasons, so after about 50 or so episodes, you'll be done. You could probably binge watch this, but since it gets so heavy, I recommend taking in only one or two episodes at a time. Pace yourself. And one more quick thing...if you decide to watch this show, DO NOT LOOK UP ANYTHING ABOUT IT ONLINE UNTIL YOU'RE DONE! There are some major spoilers online, and you hardly have to look for them. A quick Google image search for Light or L could lead to you finding out how things end way too soon. And I know, most shows have spoilers online, but this has a ton, and SPOILERS WILL SERIOUSLY RUIN THE ENTIRE SERIES FOR YOU. Trust me.